Genesis Vol 3.pdf - College Press

THE OLD COVENANT 17: 1-27
absence of circumcision, however, did not convey the idea
that the privileges of the covenant were not applicable to
woman also, but that she was dependent, and that her posi-
tion in the natural and covenant-life was not without the
husband, but in. and with him-not in her capacity as
woman, but as wife (and mother). Woman was sancti-
fied and set apart in and with man; in and with him she
had part in the covenant, and so far as her nature and posi-
tion demanded and admitted of it, she had to co-operate
in the development of the covenant!”
The Covenant, God repeated (v. 21) for emphasis no
doubt, should be established with Isaac whom Sarah was
to bear to Abraham at that very time in the following year.
“Since Ishmael therefore was excluded from participating
in the covenant grace, which was ensured to Isaac alone;
and yet Abraham was to become a multitude of nations,
and that through Sarah, who was to become ‘nations’
through the son she was to bear (v. 16) ; this ‘multitude
of nations’ could not include either the Ishmaelites or The
tribes descended from the sons of Keturah (ch. 25:2 ff.),
but the descendants of Isaac alone; and as one of Isaac’s
two sons received no part of the covenant promise, but only
the descendants of Jacob alone. But the whole of the
twelve sons of Jacob founded only the one nation of Israel,
with which Jehovah established the covenant made with
Abraham (Exo. chs. 6, 20-24), so that Abraham became
through Israel the lineal father of one nation only. From
this it necessarily follows, that the posterity of Abraham,
which was to expand into a multitude of nations, extends
beyond this one lineal posterity, and embraces the spiritual
posterity also, ;.e., all nations who are grafted ix fiisieos
Abraain into the seed of Abraham, Rom. 4:11, 12, 16, 17) .”
(KD, 226). By this enlargement it follows that in reality
Abraham received the promise “that he should be heir of
the world” (Rom. 4: 13 ) . 27 1